Welcome to the Jungle
by Scarlet Tchaikovsky
Summary: Bailey Fitzgerald, the mutant criminal who got experimented on. Nick Fury, the man who thinks she can help save the world. When the world is faced with a problem too big for any one person to fight on their own, how in the world will Fury's band of misfits be able to stop it?
1. Chapter 1

_"We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all."_ -Andrew, **The Breakfast Club**

* * *

Bailey Fitzgerald wouldn't say she had a particularly _easy_ life. In a world that could seem to accept a man in a tin-suit being a superhero, or accept a man who'd been frozen for over seventy years back into society, or completely believe _Norse gods_ can just fall from the sky, you'd think the subject of "mutants" would be just as easy to swallow. But that wasn't the case. Bailey Fitzgerald's life wasn't particularly easy. After finding out she was a mutant at an early age, she'd been subjected to quite a few experiments in her life. That was where Bailey's fear of hospitals came from. The white walls, the needles, the constant beeping of the monitors and machines, the smell of antiseptic—it would be enough to drive the strongest men insane. Luckily, Bailey was able to escape. She did go into a fit of rage and either killed or severely wounded every scientist or doctor involved, but she escaped.

But that was another story.

At the moment, Bailey was trying to keep a low profile wherever she managed to find a place to stay. She'd jump from town to town, getting easy jobs to make quick cash and living in cheap motels. It was the kind of life Bailey didn't mind living. No one gave her a second glance, no one asked any questions.

Well, at least she thought so.

 ***Ϣℇℓℂomℇ to thℇ Jⓤƞⓖℓℇ***

"Fitz, you're late." In the latest city Bailey—or "Fitz", as she preferred to go by—was living in, she managed to land a job as a waitress at a no-name diner near the outskirts of a relatively average sized city.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"You sure don't _sound_ sorry." Bailey's boss, Marina, was a woman who had to be somewhere in her late twenties, early thirties. Marina was everything Bailey _didn't_ like in a person—authoritative, nosey, and loud. But Bailey made sure to put up a brave front; she needed the job. She needed the money.

"Next time you're late, Fitz, I swear to God...," Marina started.

"...you'll fire me." The words rolled off Bailey's tongue as if she'd said them multiple times before. Which she had.

"I will." Marina's green eyes blazed with irritation as she threw a look Bailey's way. "The only reason you're here is because we need the people."

"Then firing me wouldn't be smart, would it?" A look was thrown Marina's way.

The stern look on Marina's face made Bailey shut her mouth.

In a way, Bailey had been lucky to get a job at Marina's diner. Most places—even the little no-namers like Marina's—wouldn't have hired her, but Bailey knew that if she got desperate enough, she could do a little manipulating to make sure she got the job. In Marina's case, a little manipulation had to be done. When Bailey first came in, her clothes were dirty, she was dirty, and she barely had anything to show that she could be trusted for the job.

It was in moments like those Bailey was actually thankful for her mutation. Throw aside the telekinesis, Bailey's telepathy was what helped her through a lot of things. She could manipulate the minds of others, cause vivid hallucinations, and manipulate the memories of others—just to name a few. If she didn't have her telepathy, Bailey was _certain_ she wouldn't have made it as far as she did. Whenever Bailey finished in one town, she'd erase any memories involving her from whomever she met and leave.

She didn't want a single flitting thought of her left behind.

"Just get to work, Fitz." Marina's sharp tone cut through Bailey's thoughts.

 ***Ϣℇℓℂomℇ to thℇ Jⓤƞⓖℓℇ***

By the time Bailey's shift had come to an end, Marina gave her her money, accompanied with the tips Bailey had earned, and the young woman ventured off to her motel room. If Bailey chose to walk, it'd be an hour and a half from Marina's diner to the motel, but if she walked about a block and rode a few transits, she'd be at her motel in a quarter of the time.

But that would also make a dent in the money she earned. Looking up, Bailey could see the sky was getting dark and a few clouds were rolling in.

 _Taking a few transits won't be so bad,_ she thought sourly.

With a defeated sigh, Bailey hurried to the next bus stop to wait.

 ***Ϣℇℓℂomℇ to thℇ Jⓤƞⓖℓℇ***

Relief couldn't have come fast enough. When Bailey saw the motel, she felt the corners of her mouth twitch. She'd been staying in the city far longer than she anticipated _(only because she was in desperate need of money)_. But she was a little closer to her goal, and she knew that maybe after another week, she'd be able to take off to wherever was next.

As she got off the bus, she started walking over to the motel, and when she got close to her room, she stopped.

 _Someone's in there._ Leaning forward, so her forehead barely touched the door, Bailey closed her eyes. She felt the presence of a man, he'd been there for a while. Opening her eyes, Bailey felt her stomach knot up. _How'd he get in?_ she thought. Bailey knew she could have gone into his mind to investigate, but she wasn't willing to risk it. In most circumstances, if Bailey was going into someone's mind without any intention of erasing their memories of her, they were slightly aware of her presence. _Damn it!_ Biting her bottom lip, Bailey lowered her eyes for a moment. She couldn't just leave, all of her valuable possessions were in there. She'd have to go in there and face him.

Letting out a silent curse, Bailey took notice to how the door was unlocked before opening it and walking in.

Standing near her bed was an African American man—who was no doubt taller than Bailey—with an eyepatch over one eye, an almost stoic expression on his face, and a long leather coat covering the black clothes he wore. When his gaze met Bailey's, she felt herself visibly stiffen. His good eye pierced into her in a way that made her stomach knot up painfully.

"Ms. Fitzgerald," he said, clasping his hands behind his back, "I have to say you were a little hard to track."

"Who the _hell_ are you?" she snapped.

The man didn't answer right away. "You think you're the only one in the world with extraordinary powers," he said, clearly avoiding the question. "What if I told you there's something bigger out there?"

"I'm not interested."

"Ms. Fitzgerald, _you_ may have been hard to track, but your history...not so much."

Bailey's blood ran cold. She swore she saw her skin go three shades paler than its original skin color.

"I need someone with your kind of power," he went on, "for something I'm putting together."

"I said I'm not interested," she rasped, swallowing thickly.

Looking at her closely, the man shrugged slightly. "Normally, I'm not one to do this," he sighed, "but how about we make a deal? You help me, I wipe away the lab incident."

A flutter of something went through Bailey at the sound of that. Wipe away the lab incident? He could do that? Before she could think too intensely on it, the more rational part of Bailey's mind came through.

"I don't even know you," she snapped. "I don't know how you managed to find me or find _that_ out, but..."

"But I am willing to let you do something good so you can start over."

 _He's making a good point._ Bailey let out a frustrated sigh. "You tell me what this is first," she exclaimed, pointing at him. "And don't you _dare_ bullshit me."

"I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **In case there was any confusion on this first chapter: Bailey Fitzgerald had been experimented on because of her powers; in a fit of rage _(which will be explained later on in the story)_ , Bailey managed to kill or severely injure all the doctors and scientists involved in her experimentation, which led to her escaping; because of that incident, Bailey started living low profile. This story is set in the first _Avengers_ movie, it's going to be a Thor/OFC _(Bailey)_ pairing _(only because I just can't really see a real relationship-connection between Thor and Jane, there doesn't really seem to be much chemistry between them in the MCU adaptations)_. But just because Thor and Jane don't have any romantic relations to each other, doesn't mean they aren't on good terms. They'll be written as friends _(if I choose to write Jane in for any reason)_. Bailey's a strong telekinetic/telepathic mutant. More of her background will be looked into the further the story goes.**

 **Do I own anything in the MCU? No. No I don't.**

 **Before I wrap up this author's note, I just want to tell you guys this: stay safe! There's a lot of craziness going on and I want all of you to know that I hope you make good choices and be as safe as possible.**

 **Tell me if there's anything I can improve on.**

 **Thank you,**

 **Scarlet Tchaikovsky**


	2. Chapter 2

_"Your world's about to get a whole lot bigger."_ -Jesus, **The Walking Dead _(TV show)_**

* * *

Bailey sat through the explanation the man gave. She didn't say a word. How could she? The man with the eyepatch was _recruiting_ her? To save a world that only acknowledged her existence when it came to "science"? She would've laughed right in that man's face.

"That sounds like an awful lot of bullshit to me." Bailey's voice was flat, sounding almost uninterested. In a sense, she did kind of want to go and see what happened. On the other hand, she wanted nothing to do with "saving the world". The world never did anything for her, why should _she_ be doing anything for it?

"You'll be saving a lot of lives."

"For what? For people to see me as a hero?" Bailey snorted. "Why would I want to protect people who've only tried hurting me?"

The man looked at Bailey closely, and it made her feel uncomfortable again. "You're strong, Ms. Fitzgerald," he stated. "The world may have treated you badly, but that doesn't always mean you should leave them to fend for themselves. Besides, living under the radar isn't just for _your_ benefit, is it?"

Bailey's blood ran cold. "I'm sorry?" she stammered.

The man nodded. "S.H.I.E.L.D keeps tabs on anyone who comes on the radar," he said matter-of-factly. "Their background, what they're currently doing—everything about that person." Closing her eyes, Bailey tried keeping herself from fainting. "We know about the incident with the lab. We also know about..."

"That's enough," she snapped. "I don't know what the _hell_ this S.H.I.E.L.D is doing looking into _my_ past, but you better tell them to _back off_." Anything that wasn't screwed down in some way started to rattle violently.

The man looked unfazed. "Do you accept the offer or not?"

 _He said he could get rid of the whole lab incident. Wouldn't going with him be worth it?_ Bailey's gaze dropped for a moment. Would it? If he could _really_ get rid of _that_ , then maybe she _should_ go. But he knew more than he was letting on. _If you go, make a deal._

" _If_ I decide to accept, I'm going to offer you a deal," Bailey said firmly.

The man looked at her expectantly.

 ***ωεłℂⓄmε ŧⓄ ŧhε Jųƞglε***

The man was surprisingly accepting of her deal. He made a few changes to what she was offering, but other than that, he went with it. Just as long as she accepted to go with _him_.

"What _is_ S.H.I.E.L.D?" Bailey asked. He was leading her to a black SUV, where another man—dressed in a sharp, black suit accompanied with sunglasses—waited in the driver's seat.

He didn't answer, instead, he opened the door to the backseat and waited for her to get in. Giving him a look, Bailey reluctantly climbed in.

"I better not regret doing this," she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest.

 ***ωεłℂⓄmε ŧⓄ ŧhε Jųƞglε***

The drive went on for at _least_ an hour and a half. The driver didn't say a word to Bailey, didn't even look her way. The entire trip, Bailey was looking out the window, trying to find some way to see the good in the situation she found herself in. She had become a bit of a pessimist over the years—the experiments and the lab incident stuck with her _way_ too strongly—so finding any good outcome in anything felt difficult. But there was a little glimmer of _some_ thing less angry in her. That wasn't the kind of wording she was looking for... Out of all the things that happened to her over the years, there was one thing Bailey would actually go out of her way to protect.

When she had been locked up in what felt like her millionth laboratory, Bailey, who had been eighteen at the time, managed to escape _( without killing anyone)_ for the first time and lived on the streets of a nearby town for about six months before she was recaptured. One could imagine the surprise of the scientists and doctors upon Bailey's return, that she was expecting.

The scientists didn't expect Bailey to be able to reproduce. It had been agreed upon by those involved—all the doctors and scientists—that it'd be best if Bailey be sterilized, for precautionary measures. From what they gathered after Bailey's return, it hadn't been successful.

By the time of her return, Bailey was already five months along. Because the experiments couldn't be completed in her—what they called—"delicate condition", the doctors and scientists started arguing on what to do about the baby. Some were interested in what would happen if the baby was carried to term; they wanted to know how it'd turn out. Others weren't as interested. In the end, Bailey was allowed to carry the baby to term, but what they didn't know was that she was planning another escape. She had no intentions of her child being raised in the conditions she was forced to endure.

The day Bailey gave birth, a little girl she'd name Alycia, she would throw her plan into action. But there were bumps in the road, and Bailey would have to make herself wing parts of her plan to make it successful. Bailey had been—very carefully—keeping track of the thoughts of the doctors and scientists prior to Alycia's birth. She knew what they wanted to do with Alycia and to her. And so, hours after Alycia arrived, Bailey was able to escape from the medbay, get Alycia, and escape. Bailey made it as far as to the next state with her newborn _(though she did have to steal a few clothes and blankets so she wouldn't look suspicious)_ , and managed to find a safe place for a little while.

A lovely couple let Bailey and Alycia stay with them for a total of two weeks. It was during those two weeks Bailey managed to get in contact with her sister, Vivienne. When Vivienne had been informed that Bailey had a newborn she couldn't take care of _(with information of the experiments being kept secret)_ , Bailey's older sister promised to come down and take Alycia.

That whole ordeal happened four years ago.

Bailey and Vivienne had agreed that when Bailey found herself in a position of stability, she'd be able to see Alycia again. Bailey tried keeping in contact with her sister and daughter, but times would get tough and sometimes contacting them wouldn't happen.

And if helping with that whole Avengers nonsense could help clear the wrongs she'd done in the past, maybe Bailey would be able to see Alycia again.

 ***ωεłℂⓄmε ŧⓄ ŧhε Jųƞglε***

By the time the SUV came to a stop, in the middle of some clearing miles outside of the city, Bailey got out. The man who drove her there got out, too, but he stood near the driver's side door of the car, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Uhm...is there supposed to be something coming?" Bailey looked back at the man, but he kept looking straight ahead, not even acknowledging her. Scowling slightly, Bailey turned away from him.

Then she heard a noise.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **In case there was any confusion on this chapter: Bailey, when she was eighteen, had runaway from a lab she was in for the first time; she was "missing" for six months until she was recaptured; Bailey was five months pregnant when she was recaptured; Alycia is the name of Bailey's daughter; not long after Alycia's birth, Bailey managed to escape again with her daughter; for two weeks, Bailey and Alycia lived with a couple; Vivienne Fitzgerald is the name of Bailey's older sister; Vivienne is taking care of Alycia; Bailey's family doesn't know about the experiments; there was a mutual agreement between Vivienne and Bailey that, until Bailey can manage to live a more stable life, there would be minimal contact between Alycia and her mother; the final time Bailey escapes from a laboratory will be explained soon; how Bailey's family is seemingly unaware of the experiments will be explained later on. Alycia will be looked more into as the story goes on. Does that make sense at all?**

 **Do I own anything in the MCU? No.**

 **If you've got ideas for future updates—OCs or maybe a subplot** **—be sure to let me know.**

 **Make good choices.**

 **Tell me if there's anything I can improve on.**

 **Thank you,**

 **Scarlet Tchaikovsky**


	3. Chapter 3

_"We will find hope in the impossible."_ -Commander Spock; **Star Trek Beyond**

* * *

Bailey could not believe what she was seeing. A...weird looking jet was landing just a couple feet in front of her. Swallowing thickly, she turned and looked back at the suited man, he looked completely indifferent at what was unfolding in front of him. Swallowing again, Bailey tried calming herself down.

When the weird looking jet landed, the back end of it opened, and someone walked out. It was a woman, who looked almost as serious as the man with the eyepatch.

"Ms. Fitzgerald," she said as she approached Bailey, "I'm Agent Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D, come with me."

Arching a brow at the woman, Bailey followed wordlessly.

When the two were inside the jet, and the opening closed, Bailey felt her stomach seize for a moment. As the engines started, Agent Hill started going through some files she had with her. Bailey sat herself down, trying not to feel completely overwhelmed by what was going on.

"Read this." Agent Hill, after finding what she needed, handing Bailey seven separate files. The jet lurched forward a little as it took off, something that didn't bother Hill in the slightest but made Bailey jump a little.

Looking at the files, Bailey's brows furrowed in confusion. Opening the first file, her confusion grew even further when she saw a picture of a glowing blue square. "What am I looking at?" she asked.

"The Tesseract," Hill responded. "It was in S.H.I.E.L.D's custody, now it's in the hands of a hostile. Your job is to help retrieve it."

"So...I'm supposed to bring back a glowing cube?" Hill didn't openly respond, but the look on her face gave Bailey the answer she needed.

 _If this is what it takes to protect Vivienne and Alycia and wipe the lab incident clean, I guess it'll have to do._ The thought hung heavily in Bailey's mind. In order to protect her sister and daughter, _and_ to have a chance to start over...depended on the return of a cube.

Sighing, Bailey started reading.

 **Wεȴçøṃε ṯ⍤ ṯhε Ɉuŋgȴε⋙**

It took Bailey a good amount of time to carefully read the files Hill had given her. She wanted to make sure she didn't miss anything or misinterpret anything. If she was expected to work with them, she wanted to know everything about them.

Natasha Romanoff—S.H.I.E.L.D's number one assassin.

Clint Barton—another assassin of S.H.I.E.L.D's, skilled in archery _(according to his file, he never misses)_.

Steve Rogers—WWII veteran, super soldier, frozen for over seventy years.

Bruce Banner—renowned scientist, apparently turns into something "not friendly" when he's angry.

Thor—considered a "demigod" by S.H.I.E.L.D's standards, and has the ability to control lightning, among other things, with his hammer.

Tony Stark—the highly publicized billionaire inventor who revealed to the world he was Iron Man.

After Bailey had read about her supposed teammates, she went back to the file that held the Tesseract's information. She had tried reading it, but there were a few things on it she couldn't quite understand. From what the file said, the Tesseract was not only _very_ powerful, but could open portals to areas unknown.

"We're here." Hill's voice snapped Bailey out of her concentration. As the jet started lowering, Bailey handed the files back to Hill, who took it without another word. Waiting until the engines were turned off, Bailey exited the _moment_ the back entrance was completely lowered. But when Bailey took a moment to take in her new surroundings, she was filled with a sense of amazement mixing with almost fear. The layout of her new environment was almost similar to that of a military training camp, except it was on a large ship.

Bailey's amazement came from just how _real_ everything seemed to have gotten, despite parts of her still having trouble accepting it.

Her _fear_ came from just how militarized it felt. Seeing the men and women with guns...it reminded Bailey of the guards in the lab. Only on the ship, there were probably triple the number of armed men and women compared to the lab's guards.

"Ms. Fitzgerald." Bailey's thoughts were interrupted at the sound of another feminine voice. Turning, she saw a woman with a red bob—not to mention the calculating look in her eyes—coming toward her. "I'm Agent Romanoff."

Bailey's brows furrowed. "Uhm, nice to meet you," she mumbled.

Nodding, Agent Romanoff motioned for her to follow. "You're the third one to show up," she exclaimed, easily walking past soldiers, guards, and other sharply dressed people.

"Third?"

"Captain Rogers and Doctor Banner are here." There was a hint of amusement in Agent Romanoff's voice. "I think you'll get along with them just fine." Before Bailey even had a chance to reply, she skidded on her heels to stop from running into Agent Romanoff's back due to her sudden stop. Standing in front of another jet that looked similar to the one Bailey came in, was a tall—as in, you'd-have-to-really-crane-your-neck-to-see-his-face tall—man with a boyish look to him and a man—shorter compared to the other—with dark curly hair and a jitteriness to him. "Captain Rogers, Doctor Banner, this is Bailey Fitzgerald."

The man with the boyish face—it had taken Bailey a minute to realize he was Captain America—smiled at her and held out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you," he said.

Hesitating for just a second, Bailey placed her hand in his and shook it. "You too," she said slowly.

The other man, Doctor Banner, shook her hand with a mumbled "hello".

A moment of tense, awkward silence fell between the three of them. Bailey crossed her arms over her chest.

 _If this is what's supposed to be protecting the world,_ Bailey thought dryly, _then we're pretty much screwed._

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **Hey, sorry for the delay on putting this chapter up. There was a bit of weather trouble where I am and it messed up with my power and then my internet crashed for a couple days so it was nearly impossible to get this up sooner. But for anyone who's still interested in the story, I hope it still has your attention. If you've got any ideas on the story's progression, don't hesitate to let me know.**

 **If I could own any of the MCU movies _(or even the comics for that matter)_ , I'd be the happiest person in the world. Sadly, I do not.**

 **Tell me if there's anything I can improve on.**

 **Thank you,**

 **Scarlet Tchaikovsky**


	4. Chapter 4

_"I would be speechless if I wasn't already speaking. I don't know what the hell's going on in the most wonderful way."_ -Carol Peletier; **The Walking Dead**

* * *

Never in Bailey's entire life would she imagine being trusted to keep the world safe. Bailey looked at the world in a very dark point of view, one that she didn't see changing soon. Years of having been experimented on left Bailey feeling bitter and angered; humans had, in Bailey's mind, ruined any possibilities of having an _ordinary_ life. Her family wanted explanations as to why their youngest daughter was exhibiting weird behavior. Why was Bailey saying she could hear everyone in her head? How did she know what everyone was thinking? What was going on with her? Was she mentally ill? Was Bailey having some kind of mental breakdown?! Her parents couldn't seem to find any answers. Adrianna, Bailey's mother, thought maybe she was possessed! Adrianna Chavez had come from a very religious background—and by very religious, Bailey means _very_ religious—so it wasn't a surprise when Adrianna suggested the possibility of a demonic possession.

In the end, though, Adrianna's assumption was immediately shot-down when it was made very clear that Bailey was, in fact, a mutant.

Bailey's father, Erick Fitzgerald, had been contacted by someone who claimed to have the answer the Fitzgeralds were looking for. He was a man who had dealt with numerous cases of seemingly "enhanced individuals".

"What your daughter has isn't uncommon," the man said, his tone firm but soft. "It's being seen more and more throughout the country. Globally, even. People like your daughter are experiencing extreme changes out of the blue."

"Do you know what's causing it?" Erick exclaimed.

"It seems to be linked to biological factors," the man explained. "These changes in your daughter, they happened when she hit puberty, yes?"

"Maybe a few months before," Erick responded.

The man nodded. "That's common," he said. "In most cases, people like your daughter experience these changes some time around puberty. In other cases, it may happen later in life. Now, the important thing to understand is that your daughter is in a dangerous place right now. Until she can control herself, she'll only hurt every person she comes in contact with."

"What do you mean?" Adrianna exclaimed.

"Your daughter is what we call 'telepathic'." The man looked between Erick and Adrianna with the utmost seriousness. "There are millions of others out there with telepathic abilities; some of them develop telekinetic abilities later in life. A mutant with two abilities is rare, but it's starting to become seen more."

Erick's face had scrunched up into a scowl. "Did you just call my daughter a _mutant_?" he barked.

"Mr. Fitzgerald, tell me; are you able to tell exactly, word for word, what someone is thinking?" The man looked at Erick with an arched brow. "Are you able to easily manipulate the minds of others?" Erick's face fell. "Bailey's telepathic abilities are still developing," he went on, "and the less control she has over her abilities, the higher the risk she'll be for everyone around her."

"What should we do?" Adrianna stammered.

"I work for an organization that helps young mutants control their newfound abilities." A glint appeared in the man's eyes. "It's very successful. But Bailey will have to stay under our supervision."

"No," Erick said. "I don't like this."

" _You_ came to _me_ for answers, Mr. Fitzgerald."

" _You_ said you had the answers I needed."

"I gave you the answers you needed," the man explained. "Now I'm offering a solution. Bailey needs help; I'll give her the help she needs. All I need is your permission."

Bailey Fitzgerald had been sitting quietly beside her mother the entire time. She couldn't read the man's thoughts; his mind was too difficult for Bailey to get into. There had been something off about the man, something her parents weren't seeing, and Bailey didn't have what it took to say anything. Erick and Adrianna wouldn't have believed her anyway.

It took what felt like a lifetime of negotiating with the man before it was agreed that Bailey would be sent to the "organization". Erick and Adrianna made it clear that they wanted to be able to stay in contact with Bailey for the duration of her stay, and the man agreed they'd be able to arrange something.

The man said that he'd be able to arrange transportation for Bailey from her home to the facility. It looked like a normal building; on the outside, at least.

That had been the last time Bailey saw her family.

 **^Welcome to the Jungle^**

"This must be familiar for you." Bailey looked at Rogers with an awkward smile, crossing her arms over her chest.

Shrugging slightly, Rogers looked around for a moment before throwing a boyish look Bailey's way. "It's a little familiar," he said.

Nodding, Bailey let out a sigh. "So...how exactly will I help you guys retrieve the Cube?" she asked.

"Dr. Banner will be tracking its location," Agent Romanoff instructed. "You and Captain Rogers will be doing more of the fieldwork."

Bailey let out a slightly thoughtful hum.

"You three may want to step inside for a minute," Agent Romanoff said. "It may get a little hard to breathe."

"Is this a submarine?" Steve asked. The soldiers were running around, pinning the military jets down, calling out orders. Bailey, Bruce, and Steve looked at each other in shock, discomfort, and surprise. A loud whirring noise could be heard, the ship trembling a little.

"Really?" Bruce exclaimed, sounding almost exasperated. "They want _me_ in a submerged, pressurized metal container?"

"I feel ya," Bailey murmured.

The three of them walked to the edge of the ship, seeing the water surrounding it splashing violently. The whirring sound became louder and louder, until the ship started to move upward. A large engine appeared out of the water, splashing some of the ocean water onto the three of them; mingling with the cold saltwater air it was throwing around. Bailey's heart dropped into her stomach. Steve looked a little—no, _very_ —impressed, while Bruce looked more petrified than anything.

"Oh no, this is much worse," Bailey exclaimed.

 _What in the hell did I agree to?_

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **Sorry for not having this posted sooner, but I got sidetracked by school and work. I have finals coming up very soon so I was trying to shove in some studying while going back and forth between school and work. I'll understand if you guys think this chapter was poorly-written, but I was trying the best I could with it. But I also hope this chapter gave a little insight on how Bailey ended up being experimented on, etc., etc., etc. Her parents had unknowingly agreed to let their daughter be a lab rat.**

 **Nothing in the MCU is mine.**

 **If you've got ideas on future chapters—whether they be subplots or OCs** **—don't hesitate to leave a review or PM me.**

 **Tell me if there's anything I can improve on.**

 **Thank you,**

 **Scarlet Tchaikovsky**


	5. Chapter 5

_Just stop your crying_  
 _It's a sign of the times_  
 _We gotta get away from here_  
 _We gotta get away from here_  
 _Just stop your crying_  
 _It'll be alright_  
 _They told me that the end is near_  
 _We gotta get away from here_

-Sign of the Times; **by Harry Styles**

* * *

Bailey watched in what she hoped was controlled horror as the ship continued to change into some kind of aircraft. The engines caused droplets of saltwater to hit Steve, Bruce, and Bailey as they peaked down below. Romanoff watched over them, not even bothered by what was going on. In fact, it seemed as if the soldiers, agents, and everyone else was totally okay with what was going on.

Taking a step back, Bailey took a deep breath. The ship was slowly and steadily making its journey upward, causing the ground to vibrate almost violently for a split second before it became a soft hum.

Thoughts started racing through Bailey's mind. What if something happened and they lost control? Hundreds and hundreds of lives would be lost. If a hostile decided to cause damage, then anyone could guess what would happen as a result. Bailey didn't want to think of all the bad outcomes, but she couldn't help but think that way. There had to be some sort of precaution that was being made to ensure nothing happened to the ship.

"Guys, if you could follow me," Romanoff exclaimed, catching their attention.

When Bruce and Steve turned away from the engines to look back at Romanoff, they looked at each other before following. It took Bailey a second longer to compose herself before following behind the two men.

 **~Welcome to the Jungle~**

When they made their way to the inside of the ship, Bailey couldn't help but marvel at how big it was on the _inside_. More soldiers and agents were running and marching around — some of them had paperwork, others were calling out orders. It was a wonder how they could all cooperate, how they knew how to get anything done. Some of the soldiers stood by certain entrances with rifles or other forms of firearms in hand, standing as stiff as a board. Noticing a glass table near the back of the room, far away from where the agents were typing their reports and calling their orders, Bailey took it upon herself to sit down by the table. She watched in slight disinterest as Bruce and Steve walked around, looking amazed and terrified at the scenery around them. Romanoff had gone off to talk to some of the agents, flipping through some of their screens to see what data they collected.

When Steve made his way back to where the table was stationed, Bailey couldn't help but notice — and chuckle — at the amazed look on his face. He looked like a confused but excited kid in a candy store. By the time Bruce made his way back, he looked like he had withdrawn into himself. Neither of them really had a moment to say anything before Fury made his way over, hands clasped behind his back, his shoulders straightened as looked between the two.

"Gentlemen, Ms. Fitzgerald," Fury said, sounding formal.

"So, when're we going in on the action?" Bailey asked, trying to keep her tone as neutral as possible.

"Once we have a hit on the Tesseract, you and Captain will be deployed to the location," Fury explained. "As of right now, we're still trying to locate it."

"How are you with that?" Bruce asked.

Fury looked at Bruce for a moment before putting out his hand to shake. "Thank you for coming, Doctor," he said.

Nodding slowly, Bruce returned the gesture. "Thank you for asking nicely," he sighed. "How long am I going to be staying?"

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the wind."

"And you're where with that?" Bruce asked again.

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet," Coulson stated, having walked in on the conversation. "Cellphones, laptops — if it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

"It's still not gonna find them in time," Romanoff exclaimed, looking at the conversing men.

"You need to narrow your field," Bruce instructed. "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"

A knowing glint came into Fury's eye as Banner went into full scientist mode. His whole demeanor went from awkward and withdrawn to full on confident and science-y. It was almost amazing. "How many are there?" Fury asked.

"Call every lab you know," Bruce instructed. "Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm, basic cluster recognition. At least rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?"

The knowing glint remained in Fury's eye as he motioned Romanoff over and told her to lead Banner to his work area. She did so without so much as a second thought. That only left Steve and Bailey.

 **~Welcome to the Jungle~**

With Bruce off doing his tracking of the Tesseract, that meant Steve and Bailey were pretty much useless until there was some kind of discovery on the Tesseract's location. While Bailey didn't mind not having to be in any immediate danger just yet, there was another part of her that just couldn't stand sitting around waiting for _some_ thing. She wanted to go out and put the whole hostiles v. good guys behind her. She didn't _like_ the idea of having to play the good guy. She didn't want to protect humanity, even though she had told herself she'd go along with what was happening for her daughter. The idea of having to play the goody-two-shoes made her almost feel sick. Before Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. had gotten involved in her life, Bailey had been saving up enough money to hopefully pay a visit to her daughter, but in finding out that everything in her past had been inspected by some weird organization didn't settle well with Bailey.

If she stepped out of line, would they do something to Alycia? Would they do something to her sister? God, Bailey hoped not. If anything — _anything_ — happened to Alycia or Vivienne, Bailey would probably lose her shit. She didn't want to risk doing that. She honestly didn't want to be endangering more people because of her emotions.

After about ten minutes had gone by, Steve sat himself down beside Bailey. He still looked amazed and somewhat confused by his surroundings, but Bailey could see him adjusting.

"You're adjusting to everything okay?" she asked.

Letting out an airy chuckle, he shook his head. "I'm still finding this a little hard to believe," he said, a boyish smile on his face. "If you'd told me this when I was younger, I wouldn't have believed any of it."

Nodding, Bailey crossed her arms over her chest. "It's probably a little overwhelming, being thrown into all this."

Taking a moment to look around, Steve let out a sigh. "I think I'll get the hang of this eventually," he said. "But, for right now, I'll take it slowly."

Again, Bailey nodded. "That's a good thing to go by," she responded. It was, in her mind. If Bailey was truly expected to go along with everything that was happening, she'd have to take it all slowly. She wouldn't let it overwhelm her and hold her back from what she had to do.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **If anything in this chapter came off as confusing or not being explained thoroughly enough, just let me know and I'll clear it up the best I can. Hopefully you guys find something in this chapter that's good.**

 **Do I own anything in MARVEL? No. No I don't.**

 **From what I understand, there have been some BLACK PANTHER trailers released on the interwebs. I thought it was pretty interesting they'd be releasing trailers now, since the movie comes out in 2018.**

 **Do you have an OC or a subplot you'd like added to the story? Don't hesitate to PM me or leave a review! Do you have constructive criticism that you think is beneficial to this story? Leave a review or PM me! I just finished the last of my finals for spring quarter, so I am now officially done with spring quarter. Unfortunately, I will be doing summer classes — only 2, thank God** **— but it's still stressful. I'm hoping to be done with community college either by this winter or spring. Then I'm possibly going off to university after that.**

 **Anywho, enough of my ramblings!**

 **Tell me if there's anything I can improve on.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Scarlet Tchaikovsky**


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